slow burn
by Im Stoked
Summary: CHAP 4 UP. Catherine thinks she cannot compete with Sara for Nick’s attention. She doesn’t realize that she never had to.
1. Default Chapter

Slow Burn

_Catherine thinks she cannot compete with Sara for Nick's attention. She doesn't realize that she never had to._

Post Mea-Culpa

Spoilers: Boom (others to be mentioned in future chapters if it goes that far)

Disclaimer: I regret I cannot record any portion of CSI or its characters as intangible assets on my balance sheet. I only own a knife like the one in the story.

Note: Revision to original post. Trying to clean it up. I am aware the technical parts of this may not be accurate. I am not a scientist! Any other constructive criticism or suggestions welcomed.

"Shake it off, girl" she muttered to herself as she briskly exited the lab. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and gulped, then exhaled a cleansing breath. _Damn._ That man had a knack for unraveling her nerves just by standing next to her. The embarrassing part of it was the incident was nothing, just two colleagues viewing DNA samples, blood and other evidence through the lens of a microscope. He stood so dangerously close to her; she could feel his body heat emanating through the cover his light blue lab coat. It was nothing, because that was just Nick. Friendliness, warmth and affection just radiated from his whole being.

Catherine continued purposefully down the corridor, or so it appeared to her co-workers and they dodged her. Her jaw was tight and her fingers clenched into a fist. Yes, she did have a purpose: get to her office and get a grip. This was not like her. To allow her emotions about a man spin out of control as they had been? What was going on? Her previous "vocation" taught her the essence of maintaining control with men. Okay, she had to admit she didn't always hang on with Eddie, but all of that was behind her. No looking back.

But this thing with Nick, this _infatuation,_ consumed her like the protracted agony of a cancer. She had always cared for Nick in a maternal sense. She cared for all of the younger CSIs in that way. They all regarded her as the mom of the crew. At the same time she could engage in harmless, flirty banter with them, Archie and Bobby especially. And Greg. Oh yes… and Nick.

Her relationship with Nick was no different, until he was nearly terminated and charged with Kristy's murder a few years ago. She couldn't let that bastard Ecklie ruin Nick's career out of spite or grandstanding, or whatever his motive was at that moment. Her diligence paid off and his name was cleared, thanks to her. He hugged her to express his appreciation, and held on longer than she thought he should. When they pulled apart, his gaze held hers just a moment longer than he thought he should and a blush stained his cheeks as he released her.

Things changed, at least on Catherine's part, from that moment. Later, she often questioned her perseverance to clear his name. _Of course_ she would have done the same for any member of the team, Warrick, Gris, even Sara. She smiled to herself as a visual spelling of Sara's name formed into ghastly, putrid green fumes in her mind. Yep, even Sara, who thought she was "all that". At least that's how Lindsay described her. Rather astute observation for a kid and Catherine agreed 100 percent.

She snickered aloud as she flipped open a case file awaiting review. "Get a grip" she chastised herself for that last plunge into immaturity. She cleared her throat, and her thoughts. Back to adulthood, back to work and she bit her bottom lip to stay focused…

…For about fifteen minutes, before Nick confidently appeared in her doorway. He leaned against the jamb and flashed a grin. "Ahem".

She glanced up as he drew the lab coat back and hooked a thumb on his belt, just dripping machismo. "Yes, Nick?" she offered perfunctorily.

He wasn't ruffled by her coolness. He knew Catherine. When she was focused on work, she was all business. He also knew when she was feigning professionalism, like she was now. What was with her these days, anyway? "Well ma'am," he tipped an imaginary hat and straightened, then sauntered as if wearing imaginary chaps to the edge of her desk "The way I see it, that boy done hisself a world of hurt when he left these behind…" he trailed off dramatically.

"When he left what behind?" She replied and leaned back, eager to put a little distance between them.

"Prints", he ceremoniously announced and dropped a printout on top of her file.

"Amylase", he drawled. Only Nick could make the scientific name for spit sound sexy. He dropped another printout and it fluttered atop the first. "And I believe a bite mould will give further confirmation."

With a flick of his wrist he flipped the third sheet down and leaned over her desk, one hand splayed for support while a fully extended index finger pointed out the percentages that identified the donor as a positive match. "Blood." He paused dramatically. "We got him" his voice dropped to a near whisper, which sent her heart down to the pit of her stomach.

"He's OURS!" He straightened up and threw his fists in the air and bellowed a mock college football yell "Score!" He giggled and added "Woo-hoo!"

Catherine picked up the documents and used every bit of resolve to focus on the case. Not Nick. The case, Catherine. Focus. The blood collected at the scene was found on the victim as evidence of a struggle. A few drops were also recovered just under the refrigerator on a fresh, but partially-bleached kitchen floor. There was a bite mark on the back of the victim's neck would. They didn't have a bit mould from the suspect, but they would get one. His amylase DNA surrounded the area anyway. The final piece was the fingerprint. Multiple sets of non-matching or unidentifiable prints were recovered from the house, but only a partial smeared print found on the hilt of the victim's Henckels chef's knife used to kill her. She fought, and she fought hard, but in the end, she lost.

Nick had spent hours in front of the computer trying to match the prints through AFIS, changing the configuration points, flipping the print upside down, or as an inverse. Catherine could see his determination to solve this case set in his jaw. He did it. He took an almost unusable piece of key evidence and found the right way to make it fit. She admired his dedication. Not just for this case, but every case he worked received this type of devotion.

Catherine took deep breath and shook her head, then couldn't help but smile. "You did it Nicky. Call Brass"

"He already did" Brass announced with impeccable timing. "You coming, Catherine?"

She closed her eyes and waved her hand toward the door. "Seems pretty straight forward; under control. I'm buried here. Just run with it, Nick. You got it". She hoped her voice didn't crack on that last statement.

"After you" Brass offered with a half bow and extended arm.

Nick smiled sheepishly at Cath and winked at her before turning on his heel to leave her office.

Half an hour later, Catherine's pulse and heart rate had long since returned to a normal pace and she had dismissed that behavior as work induced temporary insanity. She was making some headway on the case files that sat on her desk when Nick popped in again. "He gave a full confession"

"And the citizens of Las Vegas can rest a little bit easier tonight" she quipped.

"Funny, Cath" He nodded and smirked. "How's it coming" He gestured toward the slightly reduced stack of manila file folders spread across her desk.

"Well, I have a new appreciation for the amount of time Grissom put in" she answered "I thought this new shift was going to add a measure of stability in my life, but…"she rolled her eyes and smiled "it will work itself out".

Nick returned the smile. "Hey, are you hungry? Feel like taking a break, maybe grab a bite?"

Her heart fluttered. _Oh, not again. _For reasons unknown to her, he affected her more than ever tonight. She wanted to jump on this opportunity, but all of this work and she still needed to get home to Lindsay. "I wish I could but-"

"Hey Nick" Sara smiled broadly as she approached him in the doorway then glanced at Catherine and reduced that big, overtly friendly smile directed at Nick to a polite, cordial smile at her. "Catherine, how's it goin'?"

"Swamped!" Catherine gestured to the stack of files awaiting review and approval. She cocked her head pensively, "You're here early."

"Yeah, staying at home drives me crazy. I thought I'd hang out until shift starts. Maybe help in the lab if they're backed up." Sara stuffed her fingers in the front pockets of her tight low rise jeans, a staple in her wardrobe, and redirected her attention to Nick. "I heard you solved a tough B&E homicide; multiple suspects, tough evidence?"

Nick's grinned and shrugged his shoulders, "All in a day's work".

Sara giggled and playfully shoved him. "That modesty act won't fly with me, 'Sheriff'."

"Who's acting?" Nick held up his hands and shook his head quizzically. He glanced over at Catherine, who was twirling her pen between her index and middle finger.

"You do have a flair for the dramatic, Nicky." Catherine offered.

"Hey, I brought in some Chinese; you hungry?" Sara pointed her thumb over her shoulder and glanced at her co-workers.

"Are you kidding? I'm starving andI was just trying to talk our mini-Grissom here into taking a break to eat," Nick pointed his head in Catherine's direction but kept his gaze on Sara.

"Nah, you two go ahead" Catherine sighed "I've got a lot to do and need to get home to Linds…"she trailed off and glanced at her watch "like yesterday".

"You sure?" Sara asked as she backed out of her office and tugged on Nick's sleeve.

"Yeah" she muttered and waved them off.

Nick reached for that door jamb that he was fast developing an intimate relationship with before Sara completely pulled him out of the office. "I'll save you some" he winked at her and released his grip and was gone.

Catherine watched as the younger CSI's casually strolled down the corridor talking and smiling at one another and occasionally bumping into one another. She wasn't sure if it intentional or not. No one would ever doubt there was some serious chemistry between those two. She was very aware of this as she set her pen in the cradle of her hand and prepared to get back to work. 'The case file, Catherine' she scolded herself. Focus. The case in front of her seemed like it was a mile away.

'Where was I' she mumbled to herself as she took a cursory glance over the report 'Substance collected positive match for blood…DNA match with suspect….DNA…DNA and chemistry…' her thoughts trailed off "They do have chemistry…same age…Oh this is ridiculous!" she slammed the file folder shut and stood up. There was no way she could concentrate right now and needed to get out. She reached in the bottom drawer for her purse and scooped up several files in her free arm. She could get more work done at home with no distractions, except for Lindsay's music. She would evenwelcome that right now...


	2. Chapter 2

_Catherine thinks she has to compete with Sara for Nick's attention. She doesn't realize that she never had to._

Post Mea-Culpa

Spoilers: Boom (others to be mentioned in future chapters if it goes that far)

Disclaimer: I regret I cannot record any portion of CSI or its characters as intangible assets on my balance sheet. I only own a knife like the one in the story.

Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1. You all are very kind. I hope you enjoy Chapter 2.

**CHAPTER 2**

"Warrick," Catherine called and sprinted into a half jog to catch up to him as he left the break room with a fresh cup of coffee held to his lips.

He turned, slightly startled, and sloshed more than a mouthful down his chin and on to the new suit he wore to court earlier. "Ah dammit!" He wiped his chin with his free hand and clenched his jaw as he glared at her.

She slowed her pace to a near halt, seeing the irritation emanating from his face. Her mouth formed a big "O" that narrowed into an open pucker then formed a mischievous smile. "You gotta watch out for that coffee-it's usually hot enough to cause a lawsuit!"

Warrick stared at her for a moment as he silently debated being angry with her or laughing at her deflection. Before his decision was made, he chuckled and shook his head. Catherine had the gift of humor, albeit acerbic at times, to diffuse tension; and he was tense. "Or deadly enough" he added, "Who brewed this crap anyway?" He blew on it, took another sip and screwed up his face in transparent disgust.

"Uh, that would be me" she straightened and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Sorry, boss, it's still crap." He held up the mug in a mock toast.

"Alright, alright" she held up her hands "At least it's hot. Speaking of which, how was court. How did you do in the 'hot seat'?"

"Man, it's gonna be an all day event." He groaned with disgust. "We're adjourned for a 3 hour lunch recess while defense gets its witness cleaned up and presentable for court".

"Presentable?"

"The guy works for Sanitation. He came straight from work to appear." Warrick took another sip of coffee "Some people, man. _Clueless_." The corner of his mouth curved up in a smile "I'm gonna tear his testimony apart."

"I know you will" she exchanged the same conspiratorial smile then looked down toward the lab already thinking of something else. "Hey, I've been thinking about that homicide on Sahara."

"I thought we passed that to graveyard?"

"They were slammed last night-didn't get to it. Grissom handed it back to me himself. Anyway, I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it. Something's missing."

Warrick shifted his weight and tipped his head to one side, giving her his full attention. He knew Catherine's intuition was talking now, and respected that voice. "You think we missed something?"

"I don't know what it is… I recall seeing tire tracks about half a block down. Did we check the garage; maybe there is a link?"

"Are you going back right now?"

She absently nodded her head and bit her bottom lip while staring right through him, as if visualizing the crime scene was just his shoulder. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna take another look-see."

"Want some company? I've got another" he extended his arm out of his suit to glance at his watch "…ohhh 2 ½ hours to kill" he smirked.

She laughed dryly and pat his forearm. "Nah, that's okay. Eat something so you have enough energy to rip your boy's testimony apart."

"Where's Nick?"

"Trick roll at the Tropicana" She pressed her lips together and looked away, trying to suppress an amused smile. He had not been too pleased to have that assignment handed to him.

"_Are you pissed off at me or something?" Nick had asked when she passed out the newest case._

_"No," she narrowed her eyes at him "Should I be?"_

_"A trick roll? Come on, Cath" he eyed her pleadingly._

_"You're all I have left. Warrick's in court, so you're the man." She shrugged unsympathetically or apologetically and turned away, Grissom style... _

_"Warrick's hot this week. He goes to court and I get the trick roll" Nick complained as he followed her and scanned the sheet. "Hey" he whipped around in front of her to stop her, eyes wide. "Wanna trade? Your case review for this?" He grinned his most charming grin, his 'Hook', the one that always reels 'em in. He took step closer, encroaching on her comfort zone, peering down at her. "What do you say?"_

_"This isn't peanut butter sandwiches for tuna, Nick" she had tried to look reproachfully at him, but that boyish grin and that devastating body heat of his nearly brought her to her knees. That warmth compounded with his natural masculine scent enveloped her in an invisible embrace almost real enough to feel. She felt light-headed. He had pulled out his cache of secret weapons, all which she was well acquainted with._

_"Come on" he playfully persisted. _

_"Nice try, but…" she paused to stop herself from stammering and backed away "I don't like tuna." She spun around and walked back to her office for a dramatic exit. _

_She glanced back half way down the hall and saw him standing there, arms crossed, smiling broadly at her. She thought she could feel his gaze all over her. She had stopped mid-step but didn't tear her eyes from him. They stood there, at opposite ends of the hall, for what seemed like eternity in her mind. She couldn't look away. His smile diminished from playful to…what was that? It was unfamiliar to her, and she thought knew all of his smiles. It looked like…longing? Good grief, Catherine. Now she was blushing. A slow, burning blush. That romance novel her sister gave her was not only clouding her judgment but inducing romantic hallucinations of her co-worker, her subordinate, even! _

_A niggling in the back of her mind whispered for her to turn around and retreat, before the eyes in the hall, walls, and lab picked up on vibes or something. Before HE picked up on something. Turn around Catherine. Go, girl. Don't stand here another second. Warning bells rang in her mind. Go Catherine-_

"Catherine?" Warrick was looking at her with puzzled that look when someone catches you lost in thought, miles away.

"Oh" she gasped "Yeah, right. Um" she stammered and felt the heat rise from her neck to her cheeks. "Well, good luck in court and better change that suit." She abruptly turned to seek the refuge of her office, leaving a dumbfounded Warrick in a cloud of proverbial dust. He watched after her hasty departure then looked down at the coffee stain that was beginning to set in his suit. He shook his head, mumbling about having to go home and change and maybe he could charge the dry cleaning to the department. It was their lousy coffee anyway…

"Hey Catherine" Sara sauntered innocently into Catherine's office later that morning.

Catherine looked up, surprised the second time that week to see Sara at the lab at an unusual hour. "Sara" she regarded her with a smile.

"Hey, I was looking for Nick-is he on a case?" she had been holding something behind her back and now brought it around to the front, a small gift bag. Catherine recognized the pink-on-pink striped foil bag from a trendy lingerie store found in every mall in America.

"He's on a case" she answered, clasping her hands together and setting the fist on her desk. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh, he had left some stuff at my place; I'm just bringing it back." She raised the bag up.

Not a very big bag, Catherine noted to herself. Just big enough for freshly laundered boxers, maybe? She gritted her teeth fleetingly then broke a smile. _Keep it together. _Cool, composed Catherine, that's who she was. Never let'em see you sweat. "Well, he should be back soon," she spoke with a knowing, maternal tone. "If it contains valuables, you can leave it here-just put it…" her voice trailed off as she perused her office for an out of the way storage place where she wouldn't have to look on that bag of Sara's, containing Nick's _stuff. _Stuff he left at Sara's place. Her stomach churned as she waved her hand in the air and redirected her attention back to whatever task lay before her, the one she completely forgot about at that moment.

"That's okay" Sara shrugged and grinned that gap-toothed grin. "I'll see him later, just thought I'd save him a trip since I was in the area. I'll just hang around until he comes back." she turned to leave.

"You've been hanging around a lot, lately" Catherine muttered to herself as Sara turned out of her office, swinging her foil bag like a child would a doll.

"What's that?" Sara halted and spun around.

Catherine looked up, "What's _what?" _

"I thought I heard you say something?" She challenged Catherine.

"You did." Catherine retained her composure. This wasn't high school. They were adults, professionals. She wouldn't hide behind back stabbing comments. "I said I noticed you have been hanging around a lot lately."

Sara was a little taken aback. She hadn't expected an upfront response. Then again, this _was_ Catherine. She should have known to expect nothing less than a direct response from her. This was why she respected her so highly, even though there was a bit of a personality clash. Maybe a little envy, too. Catherine seemed to have it all, especially since Ecklie split them up. "Yes" she admitted rather shyly "I guess I have. Kind of miss the way things used to be-our team."

Catherine only nodded in sympathetic agreement. She did miss working with all of them. They were rock solid, knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. They complimented one another not only a professional level, but personally as well. She couldn't offer a response to Sara so they exchanged an awkward glance.

"Okay then, Cath. I'll just …do this later" Sara tried to smile but knew it didn't come across that way. Perhaps more a sad sort of pity smirk before she swiftly left.

Catherine watched after her and couldn't help but wonder what was in that bag. Why did she need to bring it to the lab off-shift? She pitifully thought of them together, Nick holding Sara. Envy enveloped her at the thought. _Stop it. _She forced the jealousy out, veiled in cleansing exhale. _That's it, let it out and let it go. Good for them if they found each other. Everyone deserves to share a life with another. _Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Cath, you'll get over this.

At this time of day cross-town traffic starts backing up. Catherine figured she could save a few minutes time by taking I-15 down to Sahara. Even a few minutes saved from this God forsaken heat would be a heavenly respite. She could feel beads of perspiration form on her brow during the short walk from LVPD to her department issued Denali. Every year at this time she questioned her reasons for staying in Vegas. "So bloody hot" she muttered as she climbed in the truck. She hoped the A/C wouldn't cut out on her as it had been lately. She really needed to get that checked "…only May…just wait for July" she spoke her thoughts aloud as she turned to back out.

She heard a loud blast from a car horn behind her and hit the brakes. She turned to see another department issue pull around hers…Nick. She smirked and rolled the window down at the same time he rolled down his passenger window.

"Crazy woman driver!" He called out to her, half turned with one arm resting over the wheel and a dazzling smile plastered to his face.

Catherine took a deep breath and decided to ignore his bait. "Did you put that trick roll to bed?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He wiggled his eyebrows with a lascivious smile.

She took a deep breath and tried her best to look annoyed with his adolescent comments. On the surface, she was annoyed… and frustrated about her inability to get her mind out of the gutter about him.

"I would as a matter of fact" she spoke as coolly as she could muster "In report form, on my desk. If…you finished the job that is…"

"Oh I _always _finish the job" he nodded "With a bang, I might add." The innuendo was painfully obvious.

She had to chuckle. His flirting was shameless. He had always been that way. He earned a reputation as a ladies man because of it. Catherine knew the truth, he wasn't that way. Once in a relationship, he was monogamous to a fault. He even minimized the flirting when was dating someone. Which was why she was a little surprised that he was blatantly flirting with her, especially with his little …_fling _with Sara. She put her Boss face back on. "It's not finished until it's on my desk" she peered at him over the rims of her sunglasses before lifting up her head, rather haughtily. She shifted the truck back into reverse and proceeded to back up.

His smile deflated and he dropped his head "Yes, ma'am". Jeez-she really knew how to put the squeeze on his balls. "Yeah…she wants you, Nicky," he reassured himself sarcastically. He shook his head disappointedly and pulled in his slot as Catherine turned out of the parking lot and turned south toward I-15.

"What in the hell am I doing on this highway?" Catherine muttered to herself as she sat in bumper to bumper traffic at high noon. The truck had been sluggish enough so why on earth would she push her luck even further on a record setting temperature day like today? She puffed at her bangs as she checked the rearview mirror, looking for any opportunity to get off this damn thing.

The A/C began to make a whining sound-a grinding maybe? What the hell was that? She fiddled with the thermostat, perhaps reduce it from "Max" to "Min". It didn't matter anyway, it was faltering. The cool air had been reduced to a slightly humidified breeze. The engine shuddered. She sat very still, watching the vents as if waiting for something dramatic to happen. The engine shuddered again. "Oh no" she groaned. The air being blown out smelled sickly sweet, the distinct smell of coolant.

The engine shuddered again.

She knew the truck was going to die. A small plume of white vapor spewed from the hood. She shook her head in disgust and laid on the horn. She knew she had to get off this highway before her soon-to-be disabled vehicle augmented the backup. She edged and forced her way through a sea of cars containing irate drivers and across two lanes of traffic to the shoulder of I-15. She forced the faltering truck a mile and a half to the next exit. Steam now billowed from the hood as she steered the truck to a gas station just off the highway.

She got out, relieved to have made it off the highway. She popped the hood and billows of steam plumed from the hood. It was smoking alright. "Aw shi-" she stopped herself from issuing the expletive and whipped out her cell phone to call Motor Pool for a tow and another car. Unfortunately they were backed up and couldn't send anyone for at least an hour. Her vehicle wasn't the only victim in the brutal Vegas heat. _Maybe Ecklie could be useful for a change_, she thought as she dialed his cell.

"You have reached Conrad Ecklie, director of the Las Vegas—" Catherine tensed with increasing anger and held the phone in front of her. _Voicemail. Great. Always around when you don't need him, gone when you do._

"Hey, it's Catherine. My truck broke down, overheated, I need you send another car and call a tow. I'm at the Amoco at Bonanza & I-15." She marked the message urgent before snapping the phone shut with a huff and going inside to seek refuge from the heat. She politely refused from two different men offering help, obviously disguising attempts to pick her up. She redialed Ecklie after 10 minutes only to reach his voicemail again. She tried his desk phone, same. She bit at her bottom lip, feeling the temperature rise inside the adequately cooled convenience sstore. At this rate she would be here all afternoon. _Time to call in the calvary_, she thought as she dialed another number.

"Stokes" answered an an abrupt but always chipper voice.

"Nick, it's Catherine-"

"You're not checkin' up on me are you? I'm working on that report as we speak" he interrupted.

"No, hey, I'm trying to reach Ecklie-have you seen him?"

"Not since I came back, thank God."

"The one time I need him and he's disappeared" she muttered.

"What's up, Cath?"

"My truck overheated. I'm waiting on a tow-"

"Where are you at" his voice sounded concerned.

"Bonanza off the 15. Amoco"

"I'm on my way".

Sure enough, just 20 minutes later, she saw his black Denali pull into the parking lot and walked out to meet him.

"Fear not, fair maiden!" he cried as he exited his vehicle, a gloating grin plastered on his face. "Your knight in shining armor has come to rescue you from distress wherein you suffer"

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks Prince Charming, but what I really need is a replacement steed." As soon as she said, she regretted it. She could practically hear the innuendos forming in his head before he even spoke.

"I'll be happy to serve m'lady in whatever manner she desires" he bowed waving an arm in wide circles before him.

"Thanks, Sir Lancelot, but I think I'll wait for Motor Pool" she laughed shaking her and giving up. This really was too priceless.

"Alas, there is a delay as all of the stable help are busy. Your only hope for rescue 'tis I."

She held his gaze then looked away. "Alright, in that case, how about a ride to a crime scene?"

"Your carriage awaits" he opened the passenger side door and held out a helping hand. She played along and took his hand, warm and strong, and climbed out of the heat and into the fire. Alone, with Nick in his truck….

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

_Spoilers: Hmm, Overload for sure, and probably every a bit of every other ep from the series. We know them all!_

_Note: Finally figured out the page break problem! _

_Post Mea Culpa_

_Chapter 3_

The radio in the Denali played softly in the background. As soon as Nick picked her up, he changed it from the classic rock station he was listening to the jazz station; he knew Catherine was on a jazz jag lately. He glanced over at her as he drove them towards Sahara. She was staring out the window; she seemed so distant these days. Days? Nah, it was longer than that…she hadn't been _Catherine _in awhile. Not the Catherine he knew; his Catherine, or so he liked to think.

They, the team rather, used to get together now and then, barbeques and that sort of thing. The favorite topic of discussion? Work. They discussed current cases, previous cases, partook in ribbing each other about those previous cases -_hey, remember when Nick did such-and-such on that DB in the aquarium case_? Then they talked about day shift's cases, cold cases, the newest advances in forensic technology, their ranking as the Number 2 crime lab in the nation, and if Grissom would submit a purchase req. to procure those newest advances in forensic technology so they could maintain their #2 status; hell, bump it up to #1, even! He loved those geek-fests; that's what Sara dubbed their gatherings. Afterward he always volunteered to stay after and help Catherine clean up. He washed, she dried. The simple, mundane task warmed his heart in ways his masculinity would be ashamed to admit publicly.

Things changed though; she changed for reasons he didn't understand even before Ecklie's dastardly deed and he missed her. Nick hated the idea of his team being split up, but he guiltily felt joy in being under Catherine's command. He hoped things might go back to it way used to be between them, which is probably why he had been feeling so nostalgic lately.

"There were some shards of reflector collected from the gutter a couple of houses down from our vic's." Catherine spoke suddenly shaking him from his trip down memory lane and back to reality. "I ran them through the database and the match is positive for the vic's car. It got me thinking," She stared out the window as she spoke. It had been awhile since they worked a case together since they had been understaffed because of the breakup. Well, it technically wasn't his case, but she needed some answers to put it away and Nick was always willing to dive in and help when needed. He had been an apt pupil under Grissom and reminded her of him in so many ways. Now that Nick was under her wing, she could see so much of Griss' technique in him that she knew she could rely on his intuition and judgment as she had with Grissom.

"Thinking….?"

"The vic owns a '98 Buick Riviera. The shards I found are a match for that Make and only a few houses down from where he lived? "

Nick looked thoughtfully for a moment "What did she hit?"

"And was it motive for murder?' The answered his question with a question.

* * *

They arrived at the crime scene only minutes later. Nick used a utility knife to slice through the bright orange official notice covering the front door that threatened a hefty fine and jail time for trespassing. They wandered to the garage that housed a 1998 Buick Riviera. Nick flipped on the light switch as Catherine honed in on all of the light reflectors. She knelt down beside each corner of the vehicle, holding up a flashlight to carefully examine each light housing unit for breakage. Nick raised the garage door and proceeded to scan the driveway with his eyes, looking for anything. 

"Bingo!" Catherine called from the driver's side.

"What is it?" Nick walked briskly back inside and crouched behind her.

She cleared her throat; _he's too close again… _"Check it out" she shined the flashlight on the broken reflector covering turning signal.

He leaned in on her right, closing in on the already short distance between them. He didn't say anything, just cocked his head and squinted his eyes. He splayed a hand in front of him for balance and leaned in closer, his chest brushing lightly against her back. She froze for a moment as every hair stood on end. She closed her eyes only briefly, delighting in his closeness. She could feel the tension in his body. _Suck it up, girl, _she warned herself before she enjoyed it too much.

"Hey, what is that" he mumbled and swung around to her left as she moved in the same direction attempting to move out of his way, but she misjudged the direction he took and collided with him instead nearly toppling over. "Whoa, careful now" he chuckled gravelly and caught her by the waist.

She glanced back at him, knowing any attempt to conceal that slow burn fleeting across her face would be in vain. He caught her gaze and smiled knowingly, but being a true gentleman, didn't say a word. His mama taught him it was never polite to call attention to a woman's blush in such moments. Instead he only cleared his throat and pointed at the forgotten object of their attention.

"Look here" he said softly and pointed to what seemed to be hairs caught in fissures of the intact portion of the reflector.

"Fiber?" she questioned prematurely "No" she answered herself a moment later. "It looks like hair."

"I'll get my kit" Nick stood and headed for the SUV. He smiled to himself as he walked away from her. He hadn't seen her look like that in a loooong time. That's the Catherine he knew; the playful one who, for all the exposed secrets in her past, would blush whenever he was near. They played along like that, teasing one another and as far as he knew, both reveled in it. It was harmless. Well, maybe for her it was, but it affected him in a way she didn't know. Maybe she picked up on the way he was feeling for her. Is that why she changed? To not give him fodder for his imagination; to let him down easy? That would certainly explain why they didn't hang out like they used anymore. Maybe he could explore that.

He returned with the kit and she spoke with her new Boss voice. "There is dried spatter here-I'm thinkin' blood."

"Let's just see" He opened his kit and took out the equipment they would need. They tweezed the hairs and dropped them into a bindle. They sprayed the area with Luminol and it glowed pink.

"Well, well, this just got interesting." Catherine mused as she swabbed the newfound evidence. "We should process the vehicle at the lab" she stood and punched numbers on her cell phone to get a tow; the second time she had to call for a tow that day.

* * *

Nick wandered out to the well manicured backyard as they waited. For the love of God he could not understand why people insisted on having lush, grassy yards in the middle of the desert. He never considered himself to be an environmentalist but common sense dictates water conservation in this arid climate. He smiled furtively, remembering that a couple of years ago_ he_ installed a misting system in Catherine's lush, sod covered yard and it was _nice_. She held Lindsey's birthday parties in her yard. He or Warrick usually got stuck doing grill duty. 

"Think there's something out here?" Catherine appeared in the sliding door off the kitchen.

He turned and half smiled "Dunno, I was just checking it out."

"I wish I had a green thumb like Mrs. Millson." She mused, surveying the flowerbeds.

"Your place is nice" Nick offered.

"Not like this" Catherine sighed and walked toward towering stalks of gladiolas.

"How's that misting system? Still working for you?" He shuffled a couple of steps toward her, hands shoved in his back pockets.

"Great, although Lindsey gets more use out of it than I do. She says it helps keep her cool while she's tanning" she shook her head at the antics of her pre-teen daughter.

"Tanning? What for?"

"'All the girls' have tans." Catherine rolled her eyes.

"What does she care? She's too young worry about stuff like that." He scoffed and shook his head at the thought of Lindsey. She was a good kid and he had adored her since she was in pigtails.

"That's my daughter: precocious. She's caught up in teen magazines, clothes and nail polish these days." Catherine's tone was strange.

Nail polish triggered a memory for Nick and he laughed, blurting it out almost as quickly as it came to him. "Hey, do you remember when Sara gave her a little manicure set for her birthday?" And Lindsey was so excited she wanted try it out on Sara right away?" He clapped his hands remembering how Sara looked horrified and Lindsey sat so sweetly before her with her new nail polish. "Remember that, Cath? She had that hot pink stuff and got it all over Sara's fingers? That was so cute."

Catherine nodded. She remembered that and other stuff too. Linds used to like it when he came over because he would hang out with her, watch videos with her. He would tease her and ask her stuff like "Why did he do that? What happens next?" and she giggled as she explained and re-explained the plots to him. Or he played games with her and let her win every time. She loved checkers and she had a rug sized checker game that she would drag out whenever he came by. He hated checkers and Catherine knew he hated checkers and offered to rescue him, but he would see the disappointment creeping over Lindsey's face and say "That's okay Catherine, I love playing checkers". He was so good with her.

Catherine's smile faded as she glanced at Nick who looked miles away, probably in 'Sara-land' by now, judging by the goofy grin plastered on his face. That was the difference between them. He mentions a piece of their history and she thinks of him with her daughter while he is clearly thinking about his co-worker-turned-lover and her hot pink nails. She sighed resignedly; no way could she compete with that. "I'm gonna wait for the tow" she announced and went back inside.

His smile faded as he followed her with his eyes. _Now, why did she do that? Just __up and leave?_ He was sure his earlier suspicions were correct-she must have known he was feeling something for her and was trying to put some distance between them. _Nah, don't forget she's blushing every time you get within 2 feet of her, man!_ There's gotta be something there. Why then, is she so hot and cold? He ran the gamut of possibilities through his head. Maybe it's because she's a supervisor now. _That makes sense_; could be considered inappropriate for them to have a relationship. He didn't remember seeing anything in the employee handbook about fraternizing.

Maybe she thinks he is too young for her. Well, maybe chronologically, but he was wise beyond his years. He had enough happen to him to mature him more rapidly than others. She even knew about some of it. Catherine was the only one he knew he could trust with his darkest, most painful secret. They had spent evenings talking over a bottle of wine, well, mostly he talked and she listened. He loved that about her. She would just _listen. _Maybe she thinks he wouldn't make a good father to Lindsey because of that secret. They all saw the pattern of abuse repeat itself in their work; children of abuse often become abusers themselves. It was a sad statistic but certainly not prophetic for all abuse survivors.

His jaw clenched. Never! Never ever would he harm anyone! That's why he became involved in law enforcement-to protect others from what he suffered. Put 'em away, make 'em pay. Make _her_ pay for what _she_ did to him. _Shake it off Nick,_ he told himself but that evil voice snuck up on him again. _Damaged goods. _He gulped, holding back a looming emotional reaction. He was damaged goods and he knew it. Catherine knew it. She would only see him in that light. That was it.

No, that couldn't be it, could it? She wasn't shallow. She's an investigator, her training involved psychology as well as biology and chemistry. She knew, more than any of them, the value of delving into human behavior. She taught him that. She could peer into one's psyche, sift through the layers of ego, and id and all of that psychological-mumbo-jumbo, to see what drives people to do what they do. What did she see in him? A hurt little boy or a latent monster? A man who would give his life to protect another? Just like she would die to protect her child. Certainly she didn't think she would have to protect Linds from him, did she?

"Tow's here, Nick," Catherine's call came faintly across the house, shaking him from his thoughts.

They drove back wordlessly, each lost in their own thoughts. They passed by the gas station, where Catherine's SUV remained, stranded.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Spoilers: In this installment? Probably.

Disclaimer: The band mentioned is fictitious. Pure coincidence if there really is such a thing.

Note: Still not a scientist, criminalist, or doctor so if anything doesn't sound right it is because it probably isn't. On the other hand this is just funfiction so all reason is abandoned! The only thing I attempt to maintain is character traits. Anyway, special thanks to Krissy117, Addicted1, Nursejay80, CSIfan and Higherbeings for the very kind reviews and actually following this. That's so cool!

* * *

_Chapter 4_

As soon as they arrived at the crime lab, Catherine and Nick went straight to work on Ms. Millson's vehicle. No viable evidence was recovered from the vehicle's interior. All exterior evidence had been collected and photographed at the scene. The only thing they waited on were the samples sitting in the "IN" basket at Trace, which was back-logged as usual. Nick grumbled about the delay but the new tech timidly said Ecklie's orders were day shift work gets done first. He clenched his jaw when he heard this. Man, he really hated that guy. It could be hours before the analysis would be ready. Shift would be over by that time and he would not be doing any overtime tonight. He had a date, sort of. He wandered down to Layout, figuring he could kill time helping Warrick catch up until she came to pick him up.

Ecklie was an ass; he had Trace completely backed up. Their samples would have to wait until morning, unless Griss, Sara and Greg had time to do an analysis. Catherine doubted it. She knew they were still struggling with their suddenly understaffed team as much as she was. On the flipside she was grateful she was going home at a decent hour, perhaps she could spend more than just a couple of hours with her kid tonight.

_Three to right, 24, back left, 7, back right, 18 and…_ "Pop!" Catherine announced as she yanked the lock down and twisted the device from the handle on the steel grey locker. She sighed as she forcefully jiggled the temperamental latch. "Stuck again" she grumbled and tugged until the door yielded to her efforts with a reverberating rattle. "I have an office now; why do I continue to use this blasted tin box?" she continued muttering as the rattling echoed throughout the locker room. She removed the lanyard with her badge attached from around her neck and tossed it on the top shelf of her locker. Her eyes swept over the pictures taped to the inside locker door as she removed her weapon from its holster, checked the safety mechanism while she smiled at a picture of her and Lindsey in birthday hats, smiling, and sharing a bite of pizza. She carefully placed the S & W next to the badge. She heard the locker room door open behind her but didn't turn around as she removed her purse and a couple of spare blouses that needed to be laundered. She held them up and folded the articles neatly, only to stuff them into a tote bag set on the floor.

"'Afternoon, Willows," drawled that familiar friendly greeting, no doubt with a smile behind it. Nick smiled often and the tiny lines that faintly radiated from the corners of his eyes were proof.

"Nick," she nodded cordially. _Cool-As-A-Cucumber-Catherine,_ she thought, _be her_.

He continued smiling as he approached his locker, next to Sara's and two away from hers, and started the process of opening his locker with same rattles and echoes. She flashed back to when Sara first came to CSI, how she and Nick just seemed to click immediately. They shamelessly flirted with each other. She remembered the phase where they slipped notes in each others lockers. They acknowledged the juvenility of their actions and blatantly exaggerated the banter. She remembered them laughing as they read the notes aloud "_Nick, Grissom told me he thinks I am a better CSI than you, xoxo, Sara" _to which Nick composed a reply _"He only said that because you're a girl and didn't want to hurt your feelings. _I _am the best! Nick." _Although the promotion nomination ended that phase and cooled their jets for a little while, it wasn't long before they went back at it only in a different manner.

"Got big plans tonight?" He asked, breaking into her thoughts. "A hot date?" he added with a measure of jest to disguise his curiosity. .

"Just dinner and a movie with Lindsey. Maybe a few case file reviews thrown in for dessert." She closed her locker door and turned to him, adding warily "How about you?" As if she really wanted to know.

"Eh" he shrugged wearily "I'm going to a concert with Sara tonight."

"Sounds like… fun" she offered and hoped he wouldn't use his investigative skills to pick up the sarcastic tone in her voice. _Be cool._

"Yeah? I'm just so beat, I don't really feel like going. Staying in for dinner and a movie sounds much more entertaining to me right now" he glanced at her hopefully, wondering if she would use her investigative skills to pick up on his subtle hint.

"Yep, been a long week," she agreed and fought images of Nick and Sara at his place, curled up on the couch together watching a movie, their dishes and half finished bottle of wine on his glass coffee table. Nick pulling Sara into his arms and holding her fast. Sara cuddling against him, knees tucked under her, head nodding sleepily until it falls against his chest and her breathing settled into the soft, rhythmic pattern only associated with slumber. He would gently shake her or nuzzle her cheek whispering they should turn in for the night. Together. In _his _bed. Together! She bit her lip until the pain vanquished the thought. _Honestly, Catherine, how old are you? Lindsey's age? Must be, the way you're acting. Change the subject. _She cleared her throat,"Who are you going to see?"

"Blood Sponge," he smiled.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I know, I know it sounds weird. '80's punk band."

"Sounds _messy._ Never thought of you as the moshing type, Nicky," she removed her keys from her purse and clutched the bag with both hands.

"Yeah, well, I'm not. It was Sara's pick." he grinned bashfully, not wanting to admit he lost a bet to Sara, again.

_Aw, isn't that sweet, _she thought sarcastically with a hint of jealousyHe would even attend an event as awful as a lame retro punk concert just to be with her._ There you have it; Cool-As-A-Cuke Catherine has officially been pickled; sour as well as green. _"Well have fun, and stay out of the Pit" sheslapped him on the shoulder as she walked past him.

"Yeah, okay" he chuckled and nodded as his followed her and focused on her slender figure. Man, she was hot and firm in the places he cared the most about. He could feel the stirrings of excitement in his gut just thinking about her. Some nights he would lie awake in bed at night thinking about her. He worried about her when they had a particularly rough case and fantasized about her when they worked closer than usual. Any type of physical contact with her set him up for a sleepless night. What would she feel like pressed against him, under him, or on top of him??? Would they fit together just right? Lord, have mercy. Did she even realize what she did to him?

_Of course, you dumb ass! That's why she's blowing you off, man. Get a grip. You're pathetic. _He chuckled pitifully at himself and slammed his locker door shut. He needed to do something about this, cold shower maybe? Run an extra couple of miles? Nah, those were only short term remedies. Yet he couldn't exactly just come right out and say 'I have been slowly falling in love with you over the last 4 years, Cath. Whad'ya say we make a go of it?' They still had to work together and what if she really didn't return the sentiment, not even in the least? Could he go back to _just_ working with her? Like Sara did with Grissom? He could do it, couldn't he? He was a _guy _after all. That's what _guys_ were supposed to be good at doing. Carrying on like they just didn't care. Sure.

The locker room door opened and Sara walked right through his lingering, half- dressed image of Catherine. "Hey you" she grinned broadly "Ready to go?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'ready'."

"What do you mean?" she walked past him and straddled the bench beside him.

"Not sure if I'm ready for Blood Sponge."

"Are you kidding? They're harmless." She peered into Catherine's forgotten tote. "I hope you weren't planning on wearing one of these blouses to the show. I can't guarantee things will stay harmless if you show up dressed like me."

"Huh?" he looked down, finally noticing the tote. "Oh, that's Cath's. She must've forgotten it."

The tension in his neck was killing him. He really shouldn't be going out tonight after the long week he had. What he really needed was a good night's sleep. He rolled his neck from left to right and then back again, attempting to pop the vertebrae at C6 and C7.

"You know that's not good for you."

"No, I didn't know that. I don't think you ever told me."

"You're such a brat" she stood up walked behind him "Come here" she placed her hands on his shoulders and began to knead the tension knots from his muscles.

* * *

Catherine had made it as far as opening the door to the loaner SUV and throwing her purse on the passenger seat when she stopped, trying to remember why something wasn't right. She knew she was forgetting something…what was it? A moment later it came to her and her whole body drooped, "Laundry". She slammed the door and headed back toward the building to retrieve the forgotten bag.

* * *

Another officer was leaving the locker room and held the door for Catherine as she approached. She smiled a cordial greeting of thanks and took only a couple of steps inside she noticed Nick reclining against Sara, eyes closed, as she gave him what appeared to be a thoroughly enjoyable massage. For both of them. She was smiling down at him as her hands worked his shoulders then inched down between his shoulder blades. Nick was smiling contentedly. Catherine's entrance went completely unnoticed by either of them. 

"Oh God, Sara," he moaned "That feels sooo good." She only giggled in response as one hand traveled back up to the base of his neck, her fingers never ceasing their almost sensual strokes. "Hey, does that thing with your fingertips" he mumbled.

"What thing, Nicky?" she bent down closer to him, her hair fell spilling on to his face.

"You know that thing you did the last time?"

"Which thing? You know I have a cache of specialization," she cooed.

Catherine heard enough. She cleared her throat and startled them both. Sara jerked her head up

"Oh hey Cath" Sara said smugly "Forget something? "

"Yeah" she answered shortly, glancing between them with a contradictory expression vacillating between surprise and suspicion. An uncomfortable silence fell over the locker room. She looked from Nick to Sara and then back to Nick. He was silent for a moment as he studied her expression, _what is it, Cath? Why do you look that?_

"Hmm" Sara nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable under Catherine's scrutiny. She needed to bail."Nick, we should go if we're gonna eat first." Sara spoke gave Nick's shoulders a final squeeze, brushing the length of his back before backing away from him. "Goodnight" she said to Catherine, almost tauntingly.

"Yeah," he answered as he rose from the bench. He paused as he passed by her dropping his voice to a near whisper. "Have a good night Cath."

She said nothing nor moved until the sound of the locker room door sounded closed. She expelled the breath she didn't even realize she was holding and sat on the bench to think this through. She had suspected there was something going on between them for quite sometime, but this little incident finally confirmed her suspicions. _Can't be upset or jealous. What purpose will that serve? _It was silly of her to have let her emotions get the best of her, entertaining thoughts that good man like Nick could ever love someone like her. Her sordid past was public knowledge, even fodder for some, like Ecklie, when he was in one of his moods. No, she was damaged goods in Nick's eyes. Tainted, defiled. An Ex-stripper, ex-coke addict, divorced with a fatherless kid. She couldn't imagine what his parents would think if he brought her home for Christmas. Definitely not the kind of gal his mother would approve of. It is only natural for him to be attracted to someone like Sara, so good and pure when stacked against Catherine. It helped even more that she was his own age. She was certain nothing Sara had ever done could parallel what she did in her past.

Oh, Catherine knew Sara had some darkness in her past. She even ventured to guess she may have experienced some of the same pain Nick experienced, perhaps of a different nature and degree, but she was sure it was there. They had that link. Something that unbeknownst to them bonded them together. Misery loves company, she sniggered.

_So let it go, Cath. You have to, it's time. Let them find their way and do not get between them. Let Nick be happy, he deserves the very best and it looks as if he found it in Sara. She could accept it in time maybe,but would nver be happy about it._

TBC


End file.
